Ovary removal raises dementia risk

Thursday

Aug 30, 2007 at 12:01 AMAug 30, 2007 at 10:15 AM

NEW YORK -- Women who have their ovaries removed before menopause run a heightened risk of developing dementia or other mental problems later in life -- unless they take estrogen until age 50, a new study suggests.

NEW YORK -- Women who have their ovaries removed before menopause run a heightened risk of developing dementia or other mental problems later in life -- unless they take estrogen until age 50, a new study suggests.

Experts said the research needs to be confirmed by further study, but it suggests another issue for premenopausal women to discuss as they consider ovary removal.

And if they decide to go ahead with surgery, they need to consider the risks and benefits of taking estrogen to age 50, said Dr. Walter Rocca, the study's lead author.

Hormone therapy has been linked to a greater risk of dementia and heart attacks when given to women after age 65. But recent research indicates that when given before menopause or just afterward, it doesn't raise heart attack risk and might protect against dementia.

The study did not include women who had ovaries removed as part of cancer treatment, and Rocca said the results do not apply to them. The work was published yesterday in the online edition of the journal Neurology.

Ovaries produce estrogen. Rocca said the likeliest explanation of the study results is that removing ovaries causes a sudden deficiency of it.

The research examined women who had one or both ovaries removed and compared them with other women.

Overall, the study found impairment or dementia in 150 of 1,489 women who had had ovaries removed, versus 98 of 1,472 women who hadn't.